Golf club head cover



March 31, 1953 A. s. REED GOLF CLUB HEAD COVER Filed Feb. 25, 1950 and more retarded their widespread adoption.

Patented Mar. 31, 1953 2,633,173 com CLUB HEAD COVER Alfred. s. Reed, Ripon, Wis., assignor to Ripon Knitting Works, Wisconsin- Ripon, Wis., a corporation of;

Asaiasa Februar 25, mammal No. 146,210

This invention relates to golfing accessories particularly to a nova golf'clu'b head cover-v. a N I The golf club head covers in common use prior to my invention have been of the individual type, each cover comprising a bag-like enclosure adapted to fit' -ove'r the head o'f only a single cluhto protect the 'same Although golf club covers of this-type provide adequate protection, it is well known among golfers that they are relativelyinconvenientto use and are so easily lost that'm'any golfers prefer to dispense with them entirely." I Y Occasionally such individualcovers have been provided with loop portions whereby the several covers for a set of wooden clubs may be connected by a cord or leather thong to prevent loss of any one ofthem. However, the interconnected individual covers are easily tangled and are still inconvenientto manipulate. For example, during a golf game it normallyrequires both hands of: the golfer to remove'a" club from" the golf baga'nd then remove its cover, considerable delay and distraction thereby resulting. Moreover,

after use of the v clubs each individual cover must be replaced separately, Consequently, in spite of the obvious desirability of providing protective headcoverings' for wooden golf clubs, the many inconveniences inherent in the use of golf club head covers heretofore known have seriously Accordingly, a primary object of my invention is to. provide an improved golf club head cover which is capable of rapid and convenient use and which is not easily misplaced or lost.

Aifurther object ofthe invention is to provide a novel protective covering 'for' golf club heads which isadaptedto cooperate with a pluralityof clubs thereby eliminating the need for individual covers for each club. 4

:Another object of the invention isto provide a novelprotective devicefor golf club heads which permits a: golf club to be removed and reinserted readily with only onehand of the user.

I-Amadditional object of the invention is to provide a novel golf club head cover which does notrequire connecting thongs, cords, or like means ,to prevent loss or misplacementduring in arapid and convenient manner.

5 dies. (011150-151 fOthe'r objectsand advantages "of theinventionwill become evident 'from the subsequent detaileddescriptionof theinven'tion and the accompanying'drawings in which: t

' Fig.1 is a' perspective viewof one specific embodiment of my 'inventionshowing the manner in whichthe"device'cooperates with a golf ba and'alsoillustrating the'mannerin which a golf club'may be removed from or inserted into the Fig. 2-is' a vertical sectional viewof'the device as.taken'substantially'alongthe line 2-2 of Fig.

'Fig."3- is avertical sectional view at 90 with respect'to the view showninFig. 2 as taken sub stantially along'the line 33 of Fig. 2.

"Brieflyfmy invention comprises a generally funnel shape'd enclosure having an enlarged upper'portionand a tapered lower or neck portion adapted to be received in the open end of a golf club bag Or the like. As hereinafter described in' detail, the interior of the enclosure is divided into a plurality of compartments for receivingthe heads of a plurality of golf clubs with the shafts thereof'extending downwardly through the neck portion of the device into the golf bag. An important feature of the invention is the provision of a resilientor elastic cover portion at the .top of the enclosure "which may be easily moved aside :for *removing'or inserting a golf club and which'automatically returns to closed position after such removaljor insertion. ::Referringnow. to :the drawings; which show by way of illustration one specific embodiment 'of my invention, the device comprises a generally funnel-shapedstructure 6 having an enlarged upper. portion. 1, whichtapers. downwardly. to a restricted neck portion B'adapted to extend into the open upper end of a golf club bag, as indicated fragmentarily at 9. A relatively rigid annularv frame member or ring It is provided at the upper portion of the. structure to form the enlarged mouth or inlet of the device This frame member II is conveniently formed from stiff metal wire or the like and in the embodiment herein shown is. generally elliptical in shape. a The body of the enclosure 6 is formed from an outermost: flexible material or fabric such as leather, plastic, canvas, or other suitable waterresistant covering... For-convenience of fabrication the outercovering is here illustrated as comprising a. pair of oppositely disposed side directly at the neck portion 8, as indicated at the seam [4 (Fig. l), and being connected by means of the gussets l3 at the upper portion 1, as shown by the seams [6. An inner lining ll of fleece or other soft protective material is disposed against the inner surface of the outer covering pieces [2 and I3, the lower edges of the side walls l2 and the lining I! being turned inwardly and hemmed as at 18 to provide a neat appearing annular opening at the outlet of the neck portion 8. The upper edges of the outer covering pieces I2 and I3 and the inner lining I! are secured to the frame I l by means of stitching above and below the frame II as indicated at l9 and 2|, respectively.

The interior of the upper portion 7 of the enclosure 6 is divided into a plurality of tapering club-receiving pockets or compartments, three being shown in the present instance, by means of a pair of tapered dividing walls 22 disposed transversely across the short dimension of the enlarged upper portion '1 and extending downwardly from the frame I l and terminating approximately at the juncture of the upper portion 1 with the neck portion 8. Thus, the upper opening of each of the compartments is large enough to accommodate the head of a golf club during removal or insertion thereof while the lower opening (as best indicated in Fig. 3) of each compartment is small enough to prevent the head of a club from passing therethrough. The dividing walls 22, which may be conveniently formed from a suitable flexible fabric, are hemmed at their upper edges, as at 23, and are turned outwardly and stitched at their opposite vertical edges to the inner lining IT, as shown at 24 (Fig. 2). A plurality of wooden golf clubs 26 may thus be received within the enclosure 6, the head portions of the clubs 26 being supported in the separate compartments formed by the dividing walls 22 and the shafts of the clubs extending downwardly through the tapered neck portion 8 into the golf bag 9. Appropriate clubidentifying numerals, such as indicated at 21 in Fig. 1, may be provided on an outer wall l2 in order to distinguish the several golf clubs.

In order to provide a closure for the upper end or inlet of the structure, a pair of cooperating flaps 28 and 29 of fabric or the like are secured by means of the stitching 19 to the upper edges of the outer covering pieces l2 and I3 and to the lining ll above the frame 1 I. The free edges of the flaps 28 and 29 are hemmed as at 3| and 32, respectively, and the flap 28 normally overlies the flap 29 to a substantial extent, as best seen in Fig. 3, in order to provide complete protection for the enclosed clubs. Extending lengthwise within the hem portion 3| is a strip of elastic or resilient material 33 which normally retains the uppermost flap 28 in a gathered condition and in taut club-protecting position. When it is desired to remove or insert a golf club, the upper flap 28 having the elastic free edge may be readily stretched to one side or displaced to permit the insertion or removal of a club, as shown in the case of the club on the extreme left in Fig. 1.

It will thus be seen that my invention provides a simple unitary structure adapted to protect a plurality of golf clubs without the need for separate head covers such as previously used prior to my invention. An important advantages of the invention resides in the fact that the removal or insertion of a club can be readily accomplished by only one hand of the user since the device is self-retaining or self-anchoring. For example, during the removal of any one club, the head portions of the remaining clubs cannot pass through the restricted bottom openings of the individual club head compartments with the result that if the enclosure 6 tends to be lifted bodily upward, the unremoved clubs will engage the tapered walls of the enclosure and retain the same in proper operative position. In addition, the presence of any two clubs in the enclosure 6 prevents twisting of the device during removal or insertion of the other club. Because of the resilient or elastic free edge on the upper flap 28, the flap automatically snaps into closed position after withdrawal or insertion of a club and may likewise be easily displaced to one side by one hand of the user or by the shaft portion of a club.

Although as mentioned above the presence of one or more clubs in the ,enclosure 6 serves to anchor the device in the golf bag while any one club is being removed or inserted, it may be desirable to provide additional anchoring means such as a leather thong or cord '34 extending through an aperture 36 (Fig. 2) at the lower end of the neck portion 8 and also through a loop 31 (Fig. 1) secured to the inner wall of the bag 9. However, the cord 34 will not become tangled .in any way since there is no tendency for the device to turn or twist in the bag.

Although the invention has been described with respect to one specific structural embodiment, it will be understood that various modifications and equivalent structures may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A protective device for golf clubs comprising an elongated flexible enclosure having a tapered conformation with an enlarged portion at one end and a restricted portion at the other end. said restricted end portion being adapted to extend into the open end of a golf bag and said enlarged portion being divided into a plurality of separate compartments for receiving the heads of a plurality of golf clubs with the shafts of the clubs extending through said restricted portion into the golf bag, and self-closing flexible closure means extending across said enlarged portion and all of said compartments for normally covering said one end, said closure means having a resilient element adapted to be tensioned when the closure means is moved to open position and thereby permitting automatic return of said closure means to closed position.

2. A golf club head cover comprising an enclosure formed from a flexible protective material and having an enlarged portion at one end divided into separate compartments for receiving the heads of a plurality of golf clubs and a relatively restricted portion at its other end adapted to have the shafts of the clubs extend therethrough, and closure means extending across said enlarged portion at said one end for covering the same and protecting the heads of the golf clubs, said closure means including a displaceable flexible flap: having a resilient edge portion whereby the flap is normally retained in closed position but is adapted to be stretched to one side to permit removal or insertion of the clubs.

3. A golf club head cover comprising an enclosure formed from a flexible protective material and having an enlarged portion at one end divided into separate compartments for receiving the heads of a plurality of golf clubs and a relatively restricted portion at its other end adapted to have the shafts of the clubs extend therethrough, and a pair of overlapping flap members extending over said enlarged end portion to provide a closure for the same, at least one of said flap members being provided with elastic means along its free edge whereby said one flap is normally retained in overlapping closed position relative to the other flap but can be stretched to oneO side to permit removal or insertion of the clu s.

4. A golf club head cover comprising an elongated enclosure formed from a flexible protective material, said enclosure having an enlarged portion at one end divided into a plurality of compartments for receiving the heads of a plurality of golf clubs. and a relatively restricted open portion at its opposite end adapted to have the shafts of the clubs extend therethrough, a rigid annular frame secured at said one end of said enclosure and defining an opening to said enlarged portion, and resilient flexible closure means extending across said frame and all of said compartments for normally covering said enlarged portion and said compartments.

5. A golf club head cover comprising an elongated fiexible enclosure formed from an outer layer of protective material and an inner soft lining disposed fiatwise against and secured to said outer layer, said enclosure having an enlarged portion at one end divided into a plurality of compartments for receiving the heads of a plurality of golf clubs and a restricted open neck portion at its other end adapted to have the shafts of the clubs extend therethrough, a rigid annular frame secured at said one end of said enclosure and having said outer layer and said inner lining fastened thereto, and a resilient flexible closure flap of protective material extending across said frame and all of said compartments for normally covering said enlarged portion and. said compartments.

ALFRED S. REED.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,636,679 Burch et a1. July 26, 1927 1,681,922 Boch Aug. 28, 1928 1,957,577 Chapman May 8, 1934 2,014,589 Saad Sept. 17. 1935 2,471,169 Salzberg et al. May 24, 1949 2,490,250 Boener Dec. 6, 1949 

